Unified memory organization for neural network processors

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a unified memory apparatus having a unified storage medium and one or more processing units. The unified memory apparatus can include a first storage module having a first plurality of storage cells, and a second storage module having a second plurality of storage cells, each of the first and second plurality of storage cells configured to store data and to be identified by a unique cell identifier. The one or more processing units are in communication with the unified storage medium and the processing units are configured to receive a first input data from one of the first plurality of storage cells, receive a second input data from one of the second plurality of storage cells, and generate an output data based on the first and second input data.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The disclosure claims the benefits of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/610,119, filed Dec. 22, 2017, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

With the exponential growth of neural network based deep learningapplications such as image recognition, speech/voice recognition, andmachine translation, the commodity Central Processing Unit/GraphicsProcessing Unit (CPU/GPU) based platform is no longer a suitablecomputing substrate to support the ever growing computation demands interms of performance, power efficiency and economic scalability.Developing neural network processors to accelerate neural-network-baseddeep-learning applications has gained significant traction across manybusiness segments, including established chip makers, start-up companiesas well as large Internet companies. Single Instruction Multiple Data(SIMD) architecture can be applied to chips to accelerate calculationsfor applications of deep learning.

In a computer with SIMD architecture, each of the parallel multipleprocessing units, Arithmetic Logic Units (ALUs) or small CPUs, computesimultaneously with their own data—generally 2 or 3 input operands and 1output result. These data are stored in memory and are accessedindependently in parallel. Thus, each processing unit can have adedicated partition of memory and dedicated access ports to thepartitions of memory. In practice, many algorithms have some shareddata, which can be stored in some shared memory (to save storage cost)and be broadcasted to all processing units as one of the operands.

To enable parallel access in SIMD architecture, hardware generallyintroduces physically separated private memory modules and shared memorymodules to hold corresponding type of data. However, such memoryorganization has two issues.

First, because the size of each hardware memory module is fixed whiledifferent software programs have different data sizes, these modules areinefficiently utilized, resulting in the waste of physical memory space.Second, dedicated memory copy operations have to be performed whenpreviously considered “private” data becomes “shared” data in a laterphase of the program. This causes extra power consumption and a drop inperformance of the processing unit.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of this disclosure provide a unified memory apparatus. Theunified memory apparatus can include a unified storage medium includinga first storage module having a first plurality of storage cellsconfigured to store data, the first plurality of storage cellsidentified by a unique cell identifier, and a second storage modulehaving a second plurality of storage cells configured to store data, thesecond plurality of storage cells identified by a unique cellidentifier. The unified memory architecture can also include aprocessing unit in communication with the unified storage medium. Theprocessing unit can be configured to receive a first input data from oneof the first plurality of storage cells, receive a second input datafrom one of the second plurality of storage cells, and generate anoutput data based on the first and second input data.

Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a unified storage medium.The unified storage medium can include a first storage module having afirst plurality of storage cells configured to store data, the firstplurality of storage cells identified by a unique cell identifier, and asecond storage module having a second plurality of storage cellsconfigured to store data, the second plurality of storage cellsidentified by a unique cell identifier.

Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for organizing datain a unified memory apparatus having a unified storage medium and one ormore processing units. The method can include configuring a firststorage module of the unified storage medium to communicate with the oneor more processing units and to include a first plurality of storagecells that are configured to store data, the first plurality of storagecells identified by a unique cell identifier. The method can alsoinclude configuring a second storage module of the unified storagemedium to communicate with the one or more processing units and toinclude a second plurality of storage cells that are configured to storedata, the second plurality of storage cells identified by a unique cellidentifier. The method further includes configuring a processing unit ofthe one or more processing units to receive a first input data from oneof the first plurality of storage cells, receive a second input datafrom one of the second plurality of storage cells, and generate anoutput data based on the first and second input data.

Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for organizing datain a unified storage medium having a first storage module and a secondstorage module. The method can include configuring the first storagemodule of the unified storage medium to communicate with one or moreprocessing units and to include a first plurality of storage cells thatare configured to store data, the first plurality of storage cellsidentified by a unique cell identifier, and configuring the secondstorage module of the unified storage medium to communicate with one ormore processing units and to include a second plurality of storage cellsthat are configured to store data, the second plurality of storage cellsidentified by a unique cell identifier.

The unique cell identifier of the first and second plurality of storagecells can comprise a bit address including a first plurality of bits anda second plurality of bits. The first plurality of bits can indicate atarget storage module of the first and second storage modules, and thesecond plurality of bits can indicate a target storage cell of the firstand second plurality of storage cells within the target storage module.The second plurality of bits can further indicate a characteristicassociated with the target storage cell, the characteristic of thetarget storage cell being one of private or shared. In some embodiments,the first and second storage modules are configured to communicate witha corresponding processing unit. The processing unit is configured toreceive the first input data from a private storage cell, and the secondinput data from a shared storage cell. The unified storage medium andthe processing unit are configured to be uniformly addressed by asoftware code or a software program. The unified storage medium isfurther configured to receive instructions from a compiler, theinstructions including a characteristic associated with the data,wherein the characteristic associated with the data is one of private orshared. The private storage cell is configured to store private data andthe shared storage cell is configured to store shared data that can beshared across the multiple processing units.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary neural network processing unit (NPU)architecture, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary functionality of a layer of neuralnetwork processor, consistent with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary hardware neural network processor,consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates data sharing in multi-layer networks, consistent withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary hardwareincluding unified organization of memory modules, consistent withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary storage cell of a unified storagemedium, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process flowchart of an exemplary data organizationoperation, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examplesof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The followingdescription refers to the accompanying drawings in which the samenumbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elementsunless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments do not represent allimplementations consistent with the invention. Instead, they are merelyexamples of apparatuses and methods consistent with aspects related tothe invention as recited in the appended claims.

The disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods for organizingdata stored in a unified memory architecture and accessing the targetdata thereof. The disclosed embodiments can resolve the aforementionedissues of conventional SIMD architecture by organizing the physicalprivate and shared memory in a unified way. The disclosed embodimentsmaintain a single module of physical memory for logical private andshared memory, and can switch the view of “private” or “shared” throughthe accessing instructions while keeping the data itself in its originallocation in the physical memory.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary neural network processing unit (NPU)architecture 100. NPU architecture 100 can include an on-chipcommunication system 110, an off-chip memory 120, a memory controller130, a direct memory access (DMA) unit 140, a Joint Test Action Group(JTAG)/Test Access End (TAP) controller 150, a peripheral componentinterconnect express (PCIe) interface 160, inter-chip links 170, and thelike. It is appreciated that on-chip communication system 110 canperform algorithmic operations based on communicated data.

On-chip communication system 110 can include a global manager 112 and aplurality of tiles 116. Global manager 112 can include one or morecluster managers 114 configured to coordinate with one or more tiles116. Each cluster manager 114 can be associated with an array of tiles116 that provide synapse/neuron circuitry for the neural network. Forexample, the top layer of tiles of FIG. 1 may provide circuitryrepresenting an input layer to neural network, while the second layer oftiles may provide circuitry representing a hidden layer of the neuralnetwork. As shown in FIG. 1, global manager 112 can include two clustermanagers 114 configured to coordinate with two arrays of tiles 116.Tiles 116 can include one or more multipliers, adders,multiply-accumulators (e.g., a set of multiply-accumulators of a SIMDarchitecture) and corresponding memory and can be configured to performan operation (e.g., one or more algorithmic calculations) on thecommunicated data under the control of global manager 112.

Off-chip memory 120 can include read-only memory (ROM), erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM) or the like. Off-chip memory 120can be configured to store a large amount of data with slower accessspeed, compared to the on-chip memory integrated within one or moreprocessor.

Memory controller 130 can read, write, or refresh one or more memorydevices. The memory devices can include on-chip memory and off-chipmemory 120. For example, the memory device can be implemented as anytype of volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combinationthereof, such as a static random access memory (SRAM), an electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), a programmable read-only memory(PROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, ora magnetic or optical disk.

DMA unit 140 can generate memory addresses and initiate memory read orwrite cycles. DMA unit 140 can contain several hardware registers thatcan be written and read by the one or more processors. The registers caninclude a memory address register, a byte-count register, and one ormore control registers. These registers can specify some combination ofthe source, the destination, the direction of the transfer (reading fromthe input/output (I/O) device or writing to the I/O device), the size ofthe transfer unit, and/or the number of bytes to transfer in one burst.

JTAG/TAP controller 150 can specify a dedicated debug port implementinga serial communications interface (e.g., a JTAG interface) forlow-overhead access without requiring direct external access to thesystem address and data buses. The JTAG/TAP controller 150 can alsospecify an on-chip test access interface (e.g., a TAP interface) thatimplements a protocol to access a set of test registers that presentchip logic levels and device capabilities of various parts.

Peripheral interface 160 can support full-duplex communication betweenany two endpoints, with no inherent limitation on concurrent accessacross multiple endpoints.

Inter-chip links 170 can connect all the internal components of NPUarchitecture 100, such as on-chip communication system 110, off-chipmemory 120, memory controller 130, DMA unit 140, JTAG/TAP controller150, and PCIe interface 160 to each other.

While NPU architecture 100 incorporates the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, it is appreciated that the disclosed embodiments can beapplied to chips with SIMD architecture for accelerating someapplications such as deep learning. Such chips can be, for example, GPU,CPU with vector processing ability, or neural network accelerators fordeep learning. SIMD or vector architecture is commonly used to supportcomputing devices with data parallelism, such as graphics processing anddeep learning. The SIMD architecture can include multiple processingelements, wherein each of the processing elements can perform the sameoperation on multiple data points simultaneously.

For example, the private memory can be memory dedicated to serving datafor each single processing element among multiple parallel processingelements, while shared memory can refer to memory dedicated to servingdata for all parallel processing elements.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary functionality of a layer 200 of neuralnetwork, including a software algorithm 210 and hardware 220. Hardware220 can include a private memory module 230, a processing unit array240, a shared memory module 250, a write buffer 260, input operands 270,output operand 280, and the like. In some embodiments, hardware 220 canbe located in a tile (e.g., tile 116 of FIG. 1).

In some embodiments, a processing unit of processing unit array 240 canbe an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), a Floating Point Unit (FPU), a CPU, aGPU, or the like. An ALU is a fundamental building block of a computingcircuit, including the CPU of computers. A single CPU can contain one ormore ALUs. Generally, an ALU is a combinational digital electroniccircuit that performs arithmetic and bitwise operations on integerbinary numbers. Processing unit array 240 can include multipleprocessing units 242, 244, 246, and 248, for example, an array ofprocessing units, as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

Private memory module 230 can be partitioned into separate privatememory blocks, such that, each of the multiple processing units 242,244, 246, and 248 has a corresponding private memory block 232, 234,236, and 238, as shown in FIG. 2B.

Input operands 270 can be the input data operated on by processing unitarray 240. In some embodiments, input operands 270 of FIG. 2A caninclude one or more private input operand(s) 272 and one or more sharedinput operand(s) 274, as shown in FIG. 2B. Private input operand 272 canbe stored in private memory module 230 and shared input operand 274 canbe stored in shared memory module 250.

In the application of neural networks, software algorithms 210 haveshared data that can be stored in shared memory module 250 and can bebroadcasted to each of the multiple processing units 242, 244, 246, and248 of processing unit array 240 as a shared operand 274. For example,the algorithm illustrated in FIG. 2A is computing a vector operation of:A=sigmoid(b+X*W1)  (Eq. 1)

which is a representative operation in layer 200 of a neural networkcalled out often in deep learning algorithms. With reference to equation1, “b” can include a constant value, “X” can include a shared inputoperand 274, and “W1” can include a private input operand 272.

With reference to FIG. 2A, the vector size can be set as any naturalnumber. Here, a vector size of 4 is taken as an example, and a 4-waySIMD hardware to compute the vector is used. The processing units 242,244, 246, and 248 can compute, in parallel, the following operations:a1=sigmoid(b+x1*W1₁₁ +x2*W1₂₁ +x3*W1₃₁ +x4*W1₄₁)  (Eq. 2)a2=sigmoid(b+x1*W1₁₂ +x2*W1₂₂ +x3*W1₃₂ +x4*W1₄₂)  (Eq. 3)a3=sigmoid(b+x1*W1₁₃ +x2*W1₂₃ +x3*W1₃₃ +x4*W1₄₃)  (Eq. 4)a4=sigmoid(b+x1*W1₁₄ +x2*W1₂₄ +x3*W1₃₄ +x4*W1₄₄)  (Eq. 5)

The shaded blocks and dotted lines in FIG. 2A indicate how “a1” iscalculated. From this calculation, it is appreciated that data in eachcolumn of the “W1” array is local to a corresponding processing unit ofprocessing unit array 240 and the data can accordingly be stored incorresponding memory block of private memory module 230, as a privateinput operand 272. For example, the data in each of the first, second,third, and fourth columns of the W1 array can be stored in theircorresponding memory blocks 232, 234, 236, and 238 of private memorymodule 230 as private input operands.

With reference to FIG. 2A, the W1 array can include a matrix of storeddata, wherein each element of the matrix is represented as W1ij or W1_ij(as shown later), where “i” represents the row number and “j” representsthe column number in the matrix. For example, in Eq. 2, W1₄₁ representsthe data stored in the element located at row 4 and column 1 of the W1array. Other commonly known notations to address elements in a matrixcan be used as well.

Simultaneously, data in the X-array is utilized by all processing units242, 244, 246, and 248, and is accordingly stored in shared memorymodule 250, as shared input operand 274 and broadcasted to allcomponents reading from shared memory module 250. Equations 2-5represent exemplary operations performed in layer 200 of a neuralnetwork processor, designed to calculate a1, a2, a3 and a4.

In some embodiments, machine learning or deep learning includes trainingthe neural network processor to generate an end result based on inputdata, accomplished by implementing algorithms for one or more layers ofneural processing. For example, layer 200 of FIG. 2A, represents a firstlayer including an algorithm configured to perform an operation using abias b, data stored in the X array, and data stored in W1 array. Asecond and third layer (not shown) can include algorithms using the biasb, data stored in the X array, and data stored in W2 and W3 array. Eachlayer can include a different value of bias b and different parametersstored in “W” array.

With reference to FIG. 2A, for example, array X can include anindividual's scores in different classes. The value of x1 of the array Xcan be student A's Math score, x2 can be the English score, x3 can bethe History score, and x4 can be the Science score. The end result canbe whether the individual will be granted admission in a school orrejected, based on the scores (input data). As shown in FIG. 2A, anddescribed in Equations 2-5, data x1-x4 is “shared” and common incalculating a1-a4.

FIG. 3 illustrates data sharing in multi-layer networks. Data sharing,as described herein, refers to how previously private data can becomeshared data in a later phase of a program. In some embodiments, neuralnetwork architecture 300 includes multiple layers, for example, layers310 and 320. In some embodiments, output operand 280 of layer 310 can beused as an input operand 270 for layer 320. In some embodiments, theoutput operand 280 of one layer can be utilized as input operand 270 byone or more layers.

For example, in layer 310, a1 is calculated by processing unit 242 ofprivate memory module 230. The data in a1 becomes a broadcasting inputfor layer 320. Generally, a neural network can be organized in layers.Each layer can perform one or more calculations on its inputs andgenerate an output. The output of a layer can be passed onto a nextlayer for further processing. For example, an output of a previous layercan be an input for the next layer. Accordingly, the locally generated“a”s have to be either stored back to shared memory 250, or stored toprivate memory 230 and copied later to shared memory 250.

As an alternative solution to storing in private memory 230 and copyingto shared memory 250 later, output operand 280 from a1 can be storedback directly to shared memory 250 than memory copying. Nevertheless,this alternative solution could still slow down the program. Since asingle processing unit, for example processing unit 242, can finish onlyone multiply-add operation per cycle, say Xi*W1_ij, each calculation of“a” can be performed over multiple cycles. For this reason, only oneoperand of W1_ij is read out from private memory 230 in each cycle, thusonly one “X” is needed from shared memory 250. Consequently, a commondesign of each memory module is single-read/single-write per cycle. Whenall “a”s are generated simultaneously by multiple processing units inthe last cycle, shared memory 250 may not have the ability to write themall back.

In some embodiments, a write buffer 260 is introduced to allow sharedmemory 250 more time to consume these output operands 280 individually.However, when the output speed of processing unit array 240 is fasterthan the width of write buffer 260, e.g., the size of A is greater thanX, write buffer 260 may propagate a back pressure, forcing theprocessing unit array 240 to slow down, resulting in the slowdown of theoverall program execution.

FIG. 4A illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary hardware system400 including unified organization of memory modules. Hardware system400 includes a unified storage medium 405 and processing units 242, 244,246, and 248. Unified storage medium 405 includes one or more storagemodules 410, each including storage cells 430 configured to store inputoperand 270, output data 280. Multiple storage modules 410 can be mergedinto a single medium to form unified storage medium 405. Each storagemodule 410 can include a private storage module 412 and a shared storagemodule 414.

Hardware system 400 can include multiple processing units 242, 244, 246,and 248. Each of the multiple processing units of the processing unitarray 240 is configured to communicate with one or more storage modules.For example, processing unit 242 can receive private input operand 272from private storage module 412. Processing unit 242 can also receiveshared input operand 274 from one or more shared storage modules 414. Insome embodiments, processing unit array 240 is configured to receiveprivate input operand 272 from private storage module 412, receiveshared input operand 274 from shared storage module 414, and generate anoutput operand 280 based on private input operand 272 and shared inputoperand 274.

As illustrated in FIG. 4B, each of the storage cells 430 can be uniquelyidentified by a unique identifier 440. Unique identifier 440 can be abit address including high-order bits 442 and low-order bits 444, or abyte address including high-order and low-order bytes, or a combinationthereof. In computing, high-order bits 442 can be the most significantbit (MSB). The MSB can also be referred to as the left-most bit due tothe convention in positional notation of writing more significant digitsfurther to the left. Low-order bits 444, on the other hand, are referredto as bits in the right-most position. For example, in a uniqueidentifier 440 having a bit address “2_E5”, the high-order bits 442refer to the left-most bit, i.e. “2” and the low-order bits 444 refer tothe bits on the right side, i.e. “E5”.

In some embodiments, storage cell 430 is a private storage cell 432 or ashared storage cell 434. Private storage cells 432 can be located withinprivate storage module 412. Shared storage cells 434 can be locatedwithin shared storage module 414. High-order bits 442 of uniqueidentifier 440 are configured to indicate a target storage module foroperand (270, 280) and low-order bits 444 of unique identifier 440 areconfigured to indicate a target storage cell within target storagemodule, for operand (270, 280). For example, unique identifier 440having a bit address “2_E5” refers to storage module “2”, and storagecell “E5” within storage module “2”. In other words, high-order bits 442can also indicate the processing unit to which the storage module is“private” to, and low-order bits 444 indicate the location within thestorage module.

It is to be appreciated that private storage cells 432 and sharedstorage cells 434 are physically indistinguishable storage cells and arenot pre-labelled as such. The attribute of “private” and “shared” for astorage cell is determined based on the compiler-generated instructionsprogrammed to address the data. For example, data can be stored in anycell. During a read step, if the compiler-generated instructions referto the data as “private,” the data may be read out in parallel asprivate input operand 272. Alternatively, if the compiler-generatedinstructions refer to the data as “shared,” the data may be read out asshared input operand 274.

In some embodiments, unique identifier 440 includes other characters,for example, numeric characters, alpha-numeric characters, hexadecimalnumerals (e.g., shown in FIG. 4A), octal numerals, or the like,addressable by a software addressing mode.

Referring back to FIG. 4A, processing unit array 240 or each of themultiple processing units can generate output data 280. Output data 280can be a private output data 282 or a shared output data 284, determinedby the operations in the next layer of a multi-layered algorithm for aneural network processor. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, output data 280 canbe considered private output data 282 since it is written back tounified storage medium in parallel in each of the storage modules 410.

In some embodiments, neural network processors comprise a compiler (notshown). The compiler is a program or computer software that transformscomputer code written in one programming language into anotherprogramming language to create an executable program. In machiningapplications, a compiler can perform a variety of operations, forexample, pre-processing, lexical analysis, parsing, semantic analysis,conversion of input programs to an intermediate representation, codeoptimization, and code generation, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 5 is a process flowchart of an exemplary data organizationoperation 500, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.For example, data organization operation 500 can be performed by anon-chip communication system (e.g., on-chip communication system 110).

Step 502 includes configuring a storage module (e.g., storage module410) of a unified storage medium (e.g., unified storage medium 400) toinclude multiple storage cells (e.g. storage cells 430). In someembodiments, step 502 includes configuring a private storage module(e.g., private storage module 412) to include private storage cells(e.g., private storage cell 432) and/or a shared storage module 414(e.g., shared storage module 414) to include shared storage cells (e.g.,shared storage cell 434). Configuring a storage module to includestorage cells can comprise allocating storage space based on the totalstorage space available, software programs or algorithms, hardwarelimitations, time restrictions, and the like. If a software applicationor an algorithm is multi-layered and requires multiple layers ofcomputation including more shared data than private data, the storagemodule can be configured to comprise more shared storage cells or moreshared storage modules.

Step 504 includes configuring a storage medium (e.g., unified storagemedium 400 of FIG. 4A) to communicate with a processing unit (e.g.,processing unit array 240) or multiple processing units. In someembodiments, the processing unit is an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), aFloating Point Unit (FPU), a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or aGraphics Processing Unit (GPU). A single CPU can contain one or moreALUs. Generally, an ALU is a combinational digital electronic circuitthat performs arithmetic and bitwise operations on integer binarynumbers. The processing unit can include multiple processing units, forexample, an array of processing units configured to operate in parallel.

Communicating with a processing unit can include receiving datagenerated by the processing unit, or providing stored data to theprocessing unit. The storage medium can be the source of data to becomputed on or the target of data storage. In some embodiments, thehardware system comprises a single processing unit configured to receivedata from multiple storage modules. The hardware system can also includea unique processing unit for each storage module, configured to receivedata only from the corresponding storage module.

Step 506, processing unit (e.g., processing unit array 240) generatesoutput data (e.g., output data 280) based on the instructions generatedby a compiler. In some embodiments, the compiler may be a program orcomputer software that transforms computer code written in oneprogramming language into another programming language to create anexecutable program. The compiler can generate a set of instructionsconfigured to access data from a storage medium, execute a desiredoperation on the accessed data, generate output data based on theoperation, and store the generated output data back into the storagemedium for subsequent processing. The instructions can also includeassigning a characteristic to the input and the output data. Thecharacteristic of the data can be private, shared, restricted, or thelike.

In the example discussed here, compiler generates the following code forthe vector operation “A=X*W1”, where “X” can be considered as operand 2,and “W1” can be considered as operand 1. The set of instructions will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 4A, in accordance with embodiments ofthe disclosure.

-   -   i1: LOAD.SIMD OP1 0x0_00    -   i2: LOAD.SHARED OP2 0x0_F0    -   i3: MUL RESULT OP1 OP2    -   i4: STORE.SIMD RESULT 0x0_F1;

The instructions in the aforementioned set of instructions generallycomprise an operation on the data, characteristic of the data, and atarget location within the storage medium.

In some embodiments, operation on the data includes load (reading),store (writing), arithmetic operations, (e.g., addition, subtraction,multiplication, division) copy, paste, and the like. Characteristic ofthe data can refer generally to the accessibility of the data within thestorage medium. Characteristic of the data can include private, shared,restricted, allowed, global, local, or combinations thereof. Data, ingeneral, is referred to as an operand. Data can be an input operand, forexample, operand 1 (OP1) and operand 2 (OP2), or an output data based onthe vector operation being performed.

In the set of instructions i1-i4, the subfield of load/storeinstructions implies how to load/store the data. Subfield “.SHARED”implies that the data should be read or written as shared data. In thismode, both high-order bits (e.g., 442 of FIG. 4B) and low-order bits(e.g., 444 of FIG. 4B) are utilized to determine the target location ofinput operand or output data. Subfield “.SIMD” implies that the datashould be read or written as private data in parallel, wherein, thehigh-order bits can be disregarded by hardware and the low-order bitsare utilized to determine the target location of input operand or outputdata.

In instruction i1, each processing unit (e.g., 242, 244, 246, and 248 ofFIG. 4A) reads input operand 1 (e.g., private input operand 272) inparallel. The high-order bit “0” in bit address “0_00” is not utilized,and the low-order bits “00” indicate the storage cell and acharacteristic of the storage cell. (e.g., private storage cell 432) Forexample, with reference to FIG. 2A, all data in row 1 of the “W1” array(W1_li) is read out simultaneously but separately to each correspondingprocessing unit. The “LOAD.SIMD” field implies that the data should beread in parallel.

In instruction i2, input operand 2 (e.g., shared input operand 274) isread once and broadcast to all processing units, as illustrated in FIG.4A. The high-order bit “0” in bit address “0_F0” indicates the storagemodule where the data is stored, and the low-order bits “F0” indicatethe storage cell and a characteristic of the storage cell in which thedata is stored (e.g., shared storage cell 434). For example, withreference to FIG. 2A, the data in “X1” of the “X” array is read out readonce and broadcast to each corresponding processing unit. TheLOAD.SHARED field implies that the data should be read as shared databetween all processing units.

In instruction i3, processing unit performs multiplication of inputoperands 1 and 2, as defined by the vector operation, to generate anoutput data “A”. The arithmetic operation can include basic arithmeticfunctions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, orcombinations thereof. In some embodiments, processing unit is configuredto perform complex arithmetic and algebraic functions, logarithmicfunctions, exponentiation, or the like.

In instruction i4, generated output data “A” in instruction i3 is storedin parallel back to storage medium for further processing. Generatedoutput data “A” (e.g., output data 280) can be used as the input operandin the next layer of the multi-layered algorithm. The high-order bit “0”in bit address “0_F1” is not utilized by hardware, and the low-orderbits “F1” indicate the storage cell and a characteristic of the storagecell (e.g., shared storage cell 434) for the output data to be stored.For example, with reference to FIG. 2B, output data 280 may betemporarily stored in a temporary storage (e.g., write buffer 260)before storing it in the shared or private storage module of the unifiedstorage medium.

In step 508, generated output data is stored back in the unified storagemedium for further processing. Generally, a neural network can beorganized in multiple layers. The output of a layer can be passed onto anext layer for further processing. For example, an output of a previouslayer can be an input for the next layer.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been described withreference to numerous specific details that can vary from implementationto implementation. Certain adaptations and modifications of thedescribed embodiments can be made. Other embodiments can be apparent tothose skilled in the art from consideration of the specification andpractice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a truescope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the followingclaims. It is also intended that the sequence of steps shown in figuresare only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limited toany particular sequence of steps. As such, those skilled in the art canappreciate that these steps can be performed in a different order whileimplementing the same method.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer system comprising: a unifiedstorage medium including a plurality of storage modules each having aplurality of storage cells configured to store data, wherein: each ofthe plurality of storage modules is addressable as a private storagemodule and as a shared storage module, and each of the plurality ofstorage cells within each of the plurality of storage modules isidentified by a unique cell identifier; and a processing arraypossessing a plurality of processing units and in communication with theunified storage medium, the processing array configured to execute aninstruction on the plurality of processing units by causing each of theplurality of processing units to: receive input data from a targetstorage cell of the plurality of storage cells within the plurality ofstorage modules, and generate output data based on the received inputdata, wherein an attribute of the target storage cell is determineddepending on how the instruction, which instructs to read out the inputdata previously stored in the target storage cell having an attributefrom a previous instruction, refers to the input data stored in thetarget storage cell, and wherein the attribute of the target storagecell is switched to a private attribute when the instruction refers theinput data as private and the attribute of the target storage cell isswitched to a shared attribute when the instruction refers the inputdata as shared.
 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the uniquecell identifier of a storage cell comprises a bit address including afirst plurality of bits and a second plurality of bits.
 3. The computersystem of claim 2, wherein the first plurality of bits indicates atarget storage module of the plurality of storage modules, and whereinthe second plurality of bits indicates the target storage cell of theplurality of storage cells within the target storage module.
 4. Thecomputer system of claim 2, wherein the instruction includes a referenceto a target unique cell identifier and a reference attribute indicatingwhether the reference to the target unique cell identifier is a privatereference or a shared reference.
 5. The computer system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of storage modules are configured to communicatewith the plurality of processing units.
 6. The computer system of claim4, wherein: the reference attribute indicates the reference to thetarget unique cell identifier is a shared reference, and the processingarray is further configured to: retrieve the input data from the targetstorage cell identified by the target unique cell identifier, andbroadcast the retrieved input data to the plurality of processing units.7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the unified storage mediumand the processing array are configured to be uniformly addressed by asoftware code or a software program.
 8. The computer system of claim 4,wherein: each of the plurality of processing units has an assignedstorage module, the reference attribute indicates the reference to thetarget unique cell identifier is a private reference, and the processingarray is further configured to cause each of the plurality of processingunits to: retrieve the input data from the target storage cell within aprocessing unit's respective assigned storage module using the targetunique cell identifier.
 9. The computer system of claim 5, wherein theprocessing array is further configured to assign a storage module toeach of the plurality of processing units.
 10. A unified storage mediumcomprising: a plurality of storage modules each having a plurality ofstorage cells configured to store data, wherein: each of the pluralityof storage modules is addressable as a private storage module and as ashared storage module, and each of the plurality of storage cells withineach of the plurality of storage modules is identified by a unique cellidentifier, wherein an attribute of a storage cell of the plurality ofstorage cells is determined depending on how an instruction, whichinstructs to read out previously stored data from the storage cellhaving an attribute from a previous instruction, refers to the datastored in the storage cell, and wherein the attribute of the storagecell is switched to a private attribute when the instruction refers thedata as private and the attribute of the storage cell is switched to ashared attribute when the instruction refers the data as shared.
 11. Theunified storage medium of claim 10, wherein the unique cell identifierof a storage cell comprises a bit address including a first plurality ofbits and a second plurality of bits.
 12. The unified storage medium ofclaim 11, wherein the first plurality of bits indicates a target storagemodule of the plurality of storage modules, and wherein the secondplurality of bits indicates a target storage cell of the plurality ofstorage cells within the target storage module.
 13. The unified storagemedium of claim 12, wherein: the instruction includes a reference to atarget unique cell identifier and a reference attribute indicatingwhether the reference to the target unique cell identifier is a privatereference or a shared reference.
 14. The unified storage medium of claim13, wherein the plurality of storage modules are configured tocommunicate with a plurality of processing units.
 15. The unifiedstorage medium of claim 14, wherein: each of the plurality of processingunits has an assigned storage module, the reference attribute indicatesthe reference to the target unique cell identifier is a privatereference, and the plurality of processing units are configured toexecute the instruction by retrieving input data from a target storagecell within a processing unit's respective assigned storage module usingthe target unique cell identifier.
 16. The unified storage medium ofclaim 14, wherein each of the plurality of processing units are assigneda storage module.
 17. A method for organizing data in a computer system,the method comprising: receiving an instruction at a processing arraypossessing a plurality of processing units and in communication with aunified storage medium, wherein: the unified storage medium includes aplurality of storage modules each having a plurality of storage cellsconfigured to store data, each of the plurality of storage modules isaddressable as a private storage module and as a shared storage module,and each of the plurality of storage cells within each of the pluralityof storage modules is identified by a unique cell identifier; andexecuting the received instruction on the plurality of processing unitsby: receiving input data from a target storage cell of the plurality ofstorage cells within the plurality of storage modules, and generatingoutput data based on the received input data, wherein an attribute ofthe target storage cell is determined depending on how the instruction,which instructs to read out the input data previously stored in thetarget storage cell having an attribute from a previous instruction,refers to the input data stored in the target storage cell, and whereinthe attribute of the target storage cell is switched to a privateattribute when the instruction refers the input data as private and theattribute of the target storage cell is switched to a shared attributewhen the instruction refers the input data as shared.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the unique cell identifier of a storage cell comprisesa bit address including a first plurality of bits and a second pluralityof bits.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first plurality of bitsindicates a target storage module of the plurality of storage modules,and wherein the second plurality of bits indicates the target storagecell of the plurality of storage cells within the target storage module.20. The method of claim 19, wherein the instruction includes a referenceto a target unique cell identifier and a reference attribute indicatingwhether the reference to the target unique cell identifier is a privatereference or a shared reference.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein theplurality of storage modules are configured to communicate with theplurality of processing units.
 22. A method for organizing data in aunified storage medium, the method comprising: communicating data storedon the unified storage medium, wherein: the unified storage mediumincludes the plurality of storage modules each having a plurality ofstorage cells configured to store data, each of the plurality of storagemodules is addressable as a private storage module and as a sharedstorage module, and each of the plurality of storage cells within eachof the plurality of storage modules is identified by a unique cellidentifier, wherein an attribute of a storage cell of the plurality ofstorage cells is determined depending on how an instruction, whichinstructs to read out data previously stored in the storage cell havingan attribute from a previous instruction, refers to the data, andwherein the attribute of the storage cell is switched to a privateattribute when the instruction refers the data as private and theattribute of the storage cell is switched to a shared attribute when theinstruction refers the data as shared.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein: communicating data stored on the unified storage mediumcomprises communicating input data, from one or more of the plurality ofstorage cells within the plurality of storage cell modules, to aplurality of processing units in communication with the unified storagemedium; and the plurality of processing units are configured to: receivethe input data communicated from the unified storage medium, andgenerate output data based on the received input data.
 24. The method ofclaim 23, wherein the unique cell identifier of a storage cell comprisesa bit address including a first plurality of bits and a second pluralityof bits.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first plurality of bitsindicates a target storage module of the plurality of storage modules,and wherein the second plurality of bits indicates a target storage cellof the plurality of storage cells within the target storage module. 26.The method of claim 25, wherein: the instruction includes a reference toa target unique cell identifier and a reference attribute indicatingwhether the reference to the target unique cell identifier is a privatereference or a shared reference.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein:each of the plurality of processing units has an assigned storagemodule, the reference attribute indicates the reference to the targetunique cell identifier is a private reference, and the plurality ofprocessing units are configured to execute the instruction by receivinginput data from a target storage cell within a processing unit'srespective assigned storage module using the target unique cellidentifier.
 28. The method of claim 20, wherein: each of the pluralityof processing units has an assigned storage module, the referenceattribute indicates the reference to the target unique cell identifieris a private reference, and executing the received instruction on theplurality of processing units further comprises, for each of theplurality of processing units: retrieving the input data from the targetstorage cell within a processing unit's respective assigned storagemodule using the target unique cell identifier.